New Study Exposes Flaws in "Green Chemistry" Movement

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New Study Exposes Flaws in "Green Chemistry" Movement

Washington D.C., November 16, 2011 -- This holiday season, most Americans will be happily taking advantage of the comforts and conveniences of the modern world. But not everyone is thankful for the industrial processes that allow us to eat, travel, and shop the way we do. Environmentalist groups are currently pushing “green chemistry” reforms that could force many safe products off our shelves---and unfortunately, many state governments are buying into the propaganda that these anti-chemical groups are selling.

“When it comes to chemical regulation, precautionary policies are based on potential and often worst-case ‘hazards’ posed by products rather than the actual risks associated with realistic exposures,” the study explains. “For example, cyanide is certainly a hazardous substance to humans, but trace levels of cyanide naturally occur in healthy foods, such as almonds and lima beans, with no adverse consequence to human health. If the precautionary principle and ‘green chemistry’ regulations applied to these foods, we might have to ban them.”

The authors conclude: “With action proceeding on chemicals in so many states, we have begun to overturn one of our cherished principles by giving government the authority to clog scientific inquiry without convincing evidence.”